Nervous Breakdown as a Folk Illness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13664215 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard C Omark (University of South Florida, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1980 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 862-862 |
| Publication date | 1980-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.1980.47.3.862 |
| PMID | 7220724 |
| OpenAlex | W2055378309 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 1 |
The concept of a nervous breakdown is a popular, layman's view of a type of emotional disturbance. The term has no equivalent in medical or psychiatric diagnosis. An exploratory study into the meanings attached to the term by a sample of 70 lay persons using a questionnaire showed that a nervous breakdown qualifies as a folk illness (1). Respondents expressed no doubt about the social reality (shared cognitive domain) of the concept of a nervous breakdown. They were able to specify its causes (etiology), the associated behavioral traits (symptoms), treatment and sources of help, and the expected duration. The data were collected in a small town having a large, state university. The sample was composed of 47 students and 23 non-students; the average age of the sample was 28.1 yr. (range: 18 to 71 yr.). The sample was predominantly from small towns (38) and suburbs (20) rather than a big city (9) or farm (2); one gave no answer. Ninety percent of the sample said that a nervous breakdown is not a form of mental illness. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents had personally known someone who had a nervous breakdown, while six respondents said they themselves had experienced one (duration ranged from 5 min. to 8 mo.). Its causes are typically viewed as situational, stemming from too much pressure or stress. The questionnaire asked what traits respondents would show if they were to have a nervous breakdown some time in the future, with space for up to eight traits. The most often mentioned traits were physical nervousness, e.g., fidgety, shaky, mentioned by 59% of the respondents; depression (36%), anger (29%), afld being withdrawn (27% ). The questionnaire allowed each respondent to list several sources of help. Sources of help for a nervous breakdown were more often informal, such as family or friends (48), rather than official sources of help, such as mental health workers (32), physicians ( 17), and priests or ministers (7). The most common kind of solution (mentioned by 32 respondents) was rest, a vacation, less stress in everyday situations, and time itself. Respondents believed that a nervous breakdown would last months (46%) rather than weeks (30%) or a year or longer (24%). It appears that cognitive frameworks for looking at emotional disturbances are not shared between laymen and mental health professionals. This may explain why laymen would tend not to seek a mental health professional for help with a self-defined nervous breakdown
Cognition · Etiology · Psychiatry · Sample (material · Situational ethics · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1985 - 2003 (19) |
| Highly cited | No |